"Be who you are"

If your best feature is your eyes

DO line your eyes, it's the most effective way to draw attention to them. Be sure to apply liner-whether you're using shadow, pencil or liquid-as close to the base of lashes as possible. Start at the inner corner of the eye and work your way outwards to the outer corner. After lining your upper lashline, look straight into the mirror to check your work. The liner should be thick enough to be visible when your eyes are wide open.

DON'T apply liner to the inside rim of your eyes. It not only makes eyes look smaller, but is actually a health hazard. You risk infection and injury to the eye itself.

If your best feature is your cheeks

DO wear blush and be sure to smile when you apply it. Why? Smiling is the best way to find the apples of your cheeks, which is where we all naturally blush. Swirl a wide, rounded and fluffy brush in powder blush, then tap to remove the excess. Apply blush to the apple of the cheek then blend up and back toward the hairline. To make the color look like it belongs on the skin, blend it down, away from the cheekbone, as well.

DON'T try to contour your cheekbones. It looks fake and is an effect best left to fashion shoots, theater or film.

If your best feature is your lips

DO wear a shade of lipstick or gloss that complements your natural coloring. As a rule of thumb, the deeper your skin tone is, the deeper the shade of lipstick or gloss you can wear. If you are fair-skinned, choose shades of beige, pale pinks and light corals. Medium skin tones look best in brown-based shades of rose, mauve and berry. Go for deep plum, chocolate and red if you have dark skin.

DON'T wear a shade more than one tone lighter than your natural lip color. A too-pale shade will give your lips a grayish, ashy look.

If your best feature is your lashes

DO play them up with mascara. Before starting, blot the end of the mascara wand to get rid of excess product. Hold the wand at the base of your lashes and slowly pull it through to the lash tips. To avoid clumps, roll the wand as you go. Classic black mascara looks best on all complexions, but you can try brown if you want a more subtle look.

DON'T be heavy-handed when applying mascara on lower lashes. Too much mascara will actually cast a shadow under the eyes, making you look tired.

If your best feature is your brows

DO shape your brows. A properly shaped brow can lift and open your eyes, making you look alert and well-rested. Before lifting your tweezers (the best tool for this job), analyze the shape of your brow. Nature has already given you the best arch for your face and you are simply going to fine-tune, rather than re-create, it. Tweeze hairs between the brows and underneath the arch. Next, use a brow brush or old toothbrush to comb brow hairs upward. Finish with a coat of brow gel to set brows in place.

CONS Can be too dark if going for a natural look, difficult to keep a steady hand, must keep eyelid taut while waiting for it to dry. Potential to flake if put on waterlines

Gel Liners

PROS Ability to use different brushes to create the best look/for comfort, dark bold color, can be smudged when still damp for smoky looks, stay power

CONS Dries out quickly in pot, can be difficult to assess how much pigment is on the brush, must keep eyes closed while waiting to completely dry, heavy, can flake along waterlines

Applying Eyeliner Perfectly

Big, black circles around your eyes went out of fashion with ancient Egypt. Today, when applying eyeliner, you should keep it on the slightly natural side, no matter the color, shape or amount used.

Thick, dark lines around the eyes should instead be soft, and hues should appear harmonious with the lashes and lids. Wanting this look is simple. Getting this look can take a few well-used tricks. Whether you use an eyeliner pen, a pencil or liquid eyeliners, you still need to follow certain guidelines for when you apply the eyeliner and the colors you choose.

The first common mistake women make with eyeliner is in timing. Ideally, the liner should be put on before any eye shadow or mascara, but after powder and blush. If applied after the eye shadow, the liner should be lightly blended with the colored powder.

Painting a smooth, even line across both eyelids can be frustrating. The simple solution to this is to stop trying to create a single line. Use short, sweeping strokes with the liner to create the basic width and shape desired. This technique gives you much more control and much better results.

Trying to blend eyeliner in application or with a fingertip afterwards almost never works. For a quick, yet model-quality eyeliner fade, use a cotton swab and a tiny bit of petroleum jelly. Dab some jelly onto the cotton tip, and gently sweep the top of the eyeliner for a perfect blend. Always sweep from the inner eye out, which helps give the look of thicker lashes.

If you applied eye shadow before this step, you may need to touch it up after blending. Another reason eye shadow should be applied after eyeliner is that the colored powder can help hide bumps or dips in the liner's overall look. Even if you do make a mistake, a simple sweep of eye shadow can fix it.

Generally, eyeliner should match the basic hues in your eye shadow. If you use smoky grey tones of eye shadow, your eyeliner should be a smoky tone, too, even if it isn't grey. This doesn't mean you have to use pastel green eyeliner with pastel green eye shadow, but it means you should pair colors logically.

Mascara should also be paired logically with eyeliner. If you use dark brown instead of black mascara, complement it with dark brown, not jet-black eyeliner. Remember, the perfect eyeliner should always enhance your eyes and lashes, never overpower them.

Gothic Makeup

The revival of Goth style and movement both in movies and fashion offers the chance to perfect our skills in alternative designs and looks. Those who would like to cross to the dark side with their appearance, should consider some of the basic steps of Gothic makeup.

Before choosing the best designs as well as jumping into the fabulous style makeover it is important to eliminate all the factors that might sabotage the final smashing impression. One of these steps to complete would be exfoliation that would remove the dead cells and the sebum excess from the surface of the skin as well as pores. Use the best products designed for your skin type in order to keep skin problems away. Conditioning is just as important, these preliminary phases would contribute to the overwhelming success of your makeup. Therefore it is a must to include them in your daily skin care routine as well as the preparation session especially if you opt for this look only for special occasions. These are some of the basics of Gothic makeup to keep in mind when creating your subtle and mysterious look.